Activation and partial purification of the ATPase of clathrin-coated vesicles and reconstitution of the proton pump.

A N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive ATPase was extracted and partially purified from clathrin-coated vesicles of bovine brain. During purification the enzyme lost activity which was restored by a purified phospholipid fraction from brain. Phosphatidylserine, but no other commercial phospholipids tested, replaced the brain lipid fraction as activator. Particles depleted of the ATPase exhibited no H+ pump activity when reconstituted with brain phospholipids by the cholate dilution procedure. H+ pump activity was restored by incubating the reconstituted vesicles with the partially purified ATPase.